


trouble by design

by saltyplaydough



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crimes & Criminals, Literally have no idea how to tag this, M/M, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 13:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18757225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltyplaydough/pseuds/saltyplaydough
Summary: Aaron's Yorkshire's most unprofessional cop and Robert's a criminal in love.





	trouble by design

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anidorikiladra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anidorikiladra/gifts).



Thomas glances up from her desk as Robert is rudely shoved into the station, and immediately droops like the most put-upon woman on earth. Robert, quite frankly, takes offence at this. After all these months, he’d thought they were at least on friendly terms by now. 

“What is it this time?” she sighs, hauling herself up from her seat like she has to fight the urge to sink back down with every inch of her being. Robert thinks she almost sounds a bit fond. “It’s good to see you, DI Thomas. How’ve you been?” he asks, turning the sincerity up a notch. Never a bad idea to keep the police on side. “Stop being weird.” Ok, so he might have overdone it. 

The constable who brought Robert in, yanks at his arm again. “ _This_ one,” yeah, Robert really doesn’t like him, “tried to sell a used car to some out of town folk. Only it wasn’t his to sell, was it?” he sneers. Robert doesn’t bother acknowledging him with a response.

“I can take it from here, Jeffords.” 

Robert watches Jeffords leave them, before turning to face Thomas’ shrewd stare. 

“It’s a funny story, really–” Thomas flaps at him to stop talking and starts leading Robert into one of the interrogation rooms, her interest in him as fleeting as ever. It’s always been awkward between them. He never quite knows where he stands with her, and doesn’t think his usual methods of charm and flattery would work on her. Not that he’d really try any of that here. Not when Aaron could get the wrong idea. Speaking of–

“Is Aaron about?”

Thomas drags her palm down her face, pulling at her skin hard enough to make Robert wince in sympathy. “ _DS Dingle_ ,” she stresses, like she thinks he’s going to start calling Aaron that if he hears it enough times, “is on duty, yes. But I’m sure you already knew that.” She completely ignores Robert’s polite shock at her insinuation and ushers him into the tiny, dull room he’s grown so familiar with. “He’ll be in shortly.” With that, she leaves him. 

‘Shortly’ could fall anywhere between two minutes and an hour, with Aaron. So he quickly gets on with arranging himself in his chair; a carefully posed display of cool sensuality, just like he’d practiced. But of course Aaron ruins it by slamming into the room with a black eye and a vicious cut on his nose, causing Robert to jolt back up in tense worry. 

“PISS OFF, JEREMY!” He slams the door shut on the angry voice rising in answer, and throws a copy of Fast Car onto the table. “Thinks he’s the shit, now he’s chief inspector.” he grumbles, dropping into the chair opposite Robert. Robert watches him fold a leg up on his seat, flipping through the magazine he’d picked back up and propped on his thigh. 

“That was your _boss_?”

Aaron scoffs. “Suppose he is, yeah.” 

He narrows his eyes at Robert’s laugh, like he thinks he’s laughing at him, and then immediately winces at the way it tugs at the bruise over his eye. 

Robert sobers. “How’d you get that, then?”

“Perks of the job.” He’s lightly prodding at the bruise now, and Robert wants to pull his hand away. “Who was it?” He realises, too late, that his voice has gone quiet. Hard. Just a little, but it’s enough for Aaron to really look at him. 

“What’s it matter to you?” Robert doesn’t know how to answer at first. And when he finally thinks of something unserious enough, it’s too late. He’d been quiet for too long. So he sits and panics as Aaron continues to watch him. 

Aaron finally takes pity on him and shifts his attention back to the magazine. “What’re you in for anyway?”

“Shouldn’t you know?” Robert’s a little annoyed that Aaron hasn’t bothered to find out. Surely he can show some interest in his favourite lawbreaker. He is, isn’t he? Suddenly Robert’s not feeling so confident anymore.

He’s met with a wry lift of an eyebrow. “Like it matters. You’ll be out of here, all charges dropped, in half an hour anyway. You always are.” 

“Maybe because I’ve done nothing wrong.”

A snort. That’s all he gets.

“You don’t think so?” 

Aaron continues to scan his stupid car mag and Robert’s done being ignored.

“Tell me, Sergeant.” Aaron’s eyes finally snap up at the deep, intimate way he says it. Robert leans back in his seat, subtly lifting his pelvis up in the process. His torso a long, firm line as he looks up at Aaron through his lashes. Playing with the desires of men and women has always come easily to him. And Aaron’s different, yeah. He’s special. But he’s still just a man. “Have I been a bad boy?” 

It takes Aaron a while to drag his eyes up his chest and to his face, his near-permanent scowl switched out for soft, wide-eyed vulnerability. What a dangerous way to look at a dangerous man. Someone should really warn him against it. Robert doesn’t think he’s ever felt more powerful.

But Aaron ruins it. He always does. He smiles at him, a small, cheeky thing, like he has a secret of his own. And Robert’s completely lost. Powerless once again. He has no clue what Aaron’s thinking and he’s never been more smitten.

Aaron goes back to his car mag, but it’s clear he’s not paying to attention to it anymore. He’s thinking.

Robert leans forward to rest his face in his palm, and waits. He could watch him all day.

“Hear about the art museum?”

That is… not what he was expecting. 

“‘Course. Real pity, that.” The art museum had been broken into three days ago, but nothing had been taken. At least that’s what the museum thinks. Robert has about 1.3 million pounds worth of stolen art stored in a safe house that said otherwise, and practically flawless forgeries sitting in place at the museum.

“I went in yesterday, you know. Had a final check in with the employees, the usual. Saw some of the artwork on the way out, too. Heard they were supposed to be good, but they were shit, really. Must’ve been an off day.”

Robert feels his smile freeze in place. His eyes twitch. They were _perfect_. Aaron obviously has no idea what he’s talking about, has probably never been to an art show _ever_.

The indignation overwhelms him enough, it takes him a while to see that Aaron’s been watching him. 

Oh. 

There’s no way, though. He can’t possibly know. _He doesn’t know the first thing about art._

But Aaron’s smiling that secret smile again and Robert, well. He’s proud. Someone’s been doing their homework, then. Because he knows he’s covered his tracks, knows no one’s been asking any questions. Officially or unofficially. He’s damn good at what he does. But somehow, Aaron’s figured it out. He must’ve wanted very badly to surprise Robert. 

He fights to keep the giddy smile off his face. He _is_ his favourite.

“Where were you when it happened, anyway?”

No, Robert’s not making it that easy for him.

“Where would you have liked me to be?” He’s all cheese, oozing over-the-top seduction, just to get a laugh out of Aaron, and it works. Only for a bit, until Aaron’s setting the magazine down and leaning in close, right into his space. “Tell me, Mr Sugden. Have you been a bad boy?” Robert doesn’t know if he’s even breathing anymore. He should be worrying about how Aaron found out and what he could do with information like that, but instead, his pants are quickly tightening and he has to clench his fists against the need to reach out and touch. Aaron considers him for a few beats, before his face breaks into a grin. Boyish in his delight at having caught him off guard in his own game. 

Robert wants so badly to fuck him over the bloody table.

Of course that’s when Thomas comes in to let them know that they’d received a call and he was free to go. 

“I guess our time is up.”

Robert doesn’t want it to be, not when he knows. He has so much more to say, so much he wants to ask. But Aaron’s telling him he should keep the magazine and he’s walking him out the room, hand lingering on the small of his back. “See you soon,” he says, with that secret look again.

•••

It’s only later in the day, when he’s absently flipping through the magazine, that he gets it. ‘See you soon’ wasn’t a dig at how often Robert found himself at the station.

_‘There’s no need to scam pensioners just to see me. I know you’ve got my number x’_

It’s right there, at the bottom of the third page, in Aaron’s surprisingly neat writing, and it makes Robert’s heart thud stupidly in his chest. 

He does, actually. Have his number, that is. Robert hadn’t wanted to assume though. Didn’t want to cross any lines by calling him. But he’s beyond pleased at Aaron’s belief in his ability to get any information he wants. 

Robert falls back onto his couch with a happy sigh, Aaron’s magazine pressed close to his heart. He slides a hand down his pants. Thinks about cheeky, knowing smiles and the quiet way he’d asked Robert if he’d been a bad boy. Robert’s hip stutters.

This is going to end so horribly, but fuck if that’s stopping him now.

**Author's Note:**

> I hate them.
> 
> Let me know what you think! You can find me on tumblr at --> [spamela-hamderson](https://spamela-hamderson.tumblr.com/)


End file.
